Towel winding machine



June 12, 1956 R. e. BIRR TOWEL WINDING MACHINE 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Sept. 13, 1954 INVENTOR. Rudolph G Biff N SE June 12,1956 RGBIRR I 2,750,127

TOWEL WINDING MACHINE Filed Sept. 15. 1954 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 vFir g2 a 4 ,3 59 5 gnu. g 59 W/A UE/P /9 o INVENTOR. ,6 Rudolph 6. Him

June 12, 1956 R. G. BIRR TOWEL WINDING MACHINE 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Sept. 13, 1954 Fig 3 INVENTOR. Ruda/p/z 6. Birr United States Patent TOWEL WINDING MACHINE Rudolph G. Birr, Lombard, Ill., assignor to American Ifiinen Supply Co., Chicago, Ill., a corporation of evada Application September 13, 1954, Serial No. 455,622

12 Claims. (Cl. 242-66) The present invention relates to winding apparatus in general and more particularly to winding apparatus for automatically winding lengths of cloth toweling into rolls as the toweling is fed from an ironing machine.

The toweling that is used in the towel dispensing cabinets of the continuous roll towel type generally comprises a roll of approximately fifty yards of clean toweling. Each time a clean roll of such toweling has been dispensed and the soiled toweling material rewound into a roll in the cabinet, the roll of soiled toweling must be replaced by a roll of clean toweling and the soiled roll must be removed from the cabinet so that it may be laundered. After the laundering operation, an operator feeds the web of the toweling into an ironing machine so that the toweling will be dried as it is ironed. Ironing machines for this purpose are generally designed so that they will receive about fifty feet of the web of the roll of material in the process of ironing and drying the same before the leading edge thereof completes its passage through the machine and is deposited into a receiving receptacle. Since the web of the toweling of each roll constitutes about one hundred fifty feet of material, the leading edge of the toweling will be deposited in the receptacle before the trailing edge is fed into the ironing machine. After all of the material has been ironed and deposited into the receptacle, it is necessary to again wind the material into a roll so that it will be in condition to be placed into a continuous roll towel dispensing cabinet.

It is the main object of the present invention to provide an automatic winding machine for winding each length of toweling into a usable roll as the toweling is fed from the ironing machine.

It is still another object of the invention to provide in an automatic towel winding machine of the type noted, means for automatically removing each roll of toweling from the winding machine as soon as it is fully Wound and for automatically placing a new empty mandrel or core into the winding position so that the leading edge of a following section of toweling, as it is fed from the ironing machine, will be wound around the newmandrel.

The present invention, both as to the organization and method of operation, together with further objects and advantages thereof, will best be understood by reference to the following specification taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the improved roll towel winding machine with one side wall of the machine broken away in order more clearly to show details of the mechanism;

Fig. 2 is a left and end view of the towel winding machine illustrated in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a right end view of the towel wnding machine illustrated in Fig. 1; and

Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic illustration of the improved towel winding machine as it is used in conjunction with an ironer.

Referring now to Fig. 4, the schematically illustrated ironer 11 is of conventional construction and is of the type wherein the web 12 of the toweling is carried through the machine by a continuous tape 13 and is simultaneously dried and ironed as it is fed through the machine 11. An ironing machine of the type represented by the ironer 11 is well known and forms no part of the present invention.

The towel winder 15, which constitutes the new and improved towel Winder of the present invention, is arranged so that as the web 12 is fed into the machine, it will be wound on one of the mandrels or cores 59 and as each section of toweling has been fully wound the completed roll will be deposited upon the storage support 16. The fully wound rolls may then be picked up at designated intervals and the mandrels or cores removed from the rolls and replaced on the mandrel storage rack 17. A motor 18 is provided to drive the towel winder,

15 by means of the chain 19 in the manner to be described hereinafter.

Referring now to Figs. 1, 2 and 3 of the drawings, it will be seen that the towel winding machine 15 includes the side .Walls 23 and 24, the bottom panel 25, the top panel 26, which are secured together in any desired manner to form the casing for the towel winder 15.

A first drive roll 21 is carried by a shaft 27 which is supported on the respective side walls 23 and 24 by means of appropriate bearings (not shown). 21 is rigidly secured to the shaft 27 and at the left end of the shaft between the end of the roll 21 and the side wall 24, a sprocket 28 is rigidly secured to the shaft 27 so that it will rotate the shaft and the associated roll 21 under control of the drive chain 19. A second drive roll 22 is also secured to a shaft 29 which in turn is supported at its opposite ends in bearings (not shown) on the respective side walls 23 and 24 of the mechanism. The roll 22 is also provided at its right end, as seen in Fig. 3, with a sprocket 30 that also cooperates with the chain 19. The sprockets 28 and 30 are preferably provided with the same number of teeth so that as the chain 19,is driven by the motor 18 (Fig. 4) the first and second drive rolls 21 and 22 will rotate in a clockwise direction 'as viewed in Fig. 1 at substantially the same speed and with the adjacent surfaces of the rolls spaced apart so that they will just clear each other.

At the right end of the roll 21, as seen in Fig. 2, a sprocket 32 having approximately nineteen teeth, is secured to the shaft 27 so that it will rotate therewith. This,

sprocket, as will be described hereinafter, is utilized to drive the pressure roll 33.

In order to support the pressure roll 33 for pivotal movement about the axis of the shaft 27 of the first drive roll 21, one end of each of two roller connecting links 34a and 34b is rotatably secured to the shaft 27 at the opposite ends of the roll 21.

The pressure roll 33 is rigidly secured to a shaft 35 and the shaft in turn is rotatably mounted at its opposite ends in the free ends of the respective roller connecting links 34a and 34b. Between the right end of the roll 33, as seen in Fig. 2, and the roller connecting link 34a, a sprocket 36 having approximately twelve teeth is rigidly secured to the shaft 35. A coil spring 37 is secured at one end to the wall 23 of the mechanism and the opposite end of the spring is secured to the lower end of the roller connecting link 34a. A corresponding spring may also be secured in any desired manner to the lower end of the roller connecting link 34b. As seen in Fig. 1, it will be noted that the spring 37 is arranged so that it will normally tend to rotate the roller connecting link 34a in a clockwise direction until the free end thereof engages the stop 38 secured in the side wall 23. The stop 38 limits the clockwise rotation of the roller connecting links 34a and 3412, but under the tension of the spring 37 the roll 33, its shaft 35 and the connecting links 34a and Patented June 12, 195.6.

The roller 3 34b may rotate in a counter-clockwise direction as seen in Fig. 1 around the axis of the shaft 27 of the first drive roll 21. An interconnecting chain drive 39 is provided so that the rotation of the sprocket 32 on the shaft 27 will also rotate the sprocket 36 on the shaft 35 so that the pressure roll 33 will rotate in the clockwise direction.

Referring now to the second drive roll 22, it will be seen that a sprocket 40 having approximately six teeth is secured to the shaft 2 between the wall 23 and the end of the roll 22 as seen in Fig. 1. This sprocket is rigidly secured to the shaft 29 so that it will rotate in the same direction as the roll 22 and by means of the chain drive 41 will transmit the rotary movement thereof to the sprocket 42 having approximately six teeth thereon which is secured to the shaft 43 supporting the third drive roll 44. The opposite ends of the shaft 43 are secured for rotary movement in bearings (not shown) carried by the respective side walls 23 and 24.

Below the surface of the third drive roll 44 there is provided a towel guide 45 which is secured at opposite ends thereof by means of the screws 46 and 47, or the like, to the respective side walls 23 and 24. It should be noted that the towel guide has the upstanding side edges 48 which are spaced apart from one another a distance which is slightly greater than the normal width of the toweling that is to be fed through the machine. Also, the fiat surface of the towel guide 45 which extends between the side edges 48 is curved in a particular manner to guide the web 12 of toweling to a point just above and to the left of the second drive roll 22, as seen in Fig. 1.

Referring now to Fig. 3, it will be seen that the towel guide 45 is provided with a plurality of spaced-apart elongated slots 49 which cooperate with corresponding surfaces in the pressure roller 51. The pressure roller 51 is formed so that it provides a plurality of spaced-apart collars 52 of a first diameter which set into the slots 49 in the towel guide 45 and it is also provided with a plurality of intermediate collars 53 of smaller diameter that will just clear the lower surface of the extended portions 50 between the respective slots 4) on the towel guide 45. This pressure roller is carried by the shaft 54 in appropriate bearings formed in the left end of the arm 55. It being understood that there is a corresponding arm 55 to support the opposite end of the pressure roller 51. The two arms 55 are pivotally mounted at 56 on the respective side walls 23 and 24 and the ends of the arms, opposite from the pressure roller 51, are respectively provided with a spring 57 that is secured at its free end to the respective side walls of the mechanism. The spring 57 is tensioned so that it will normally tend to rotate the arm 55 and the roller 51 thereon in a clockwise direction as seen in Fig. 1. Therefore, the outer peripheral surface of each of the large collars 52 will normally press against the peripheral surface of the third drive roll 44 by extending through the corresponding slots 49 formed in the towel guide 45. It should be noted that the intermediate collars 53 will clear the lower surface of the extended portions 59, between the respective slots 49, on the towel guide 45. The web 12 of toweling will be pressed against the surface of the third drive roll 44 by the pressure roller 51 and the amount of such pressure will be governed by the tension of the spring 57. It should be noted that the tension on the spring 57 could be adjusted in any desired manner (not shown) so that different or varying amounts of pressure may be exerted by the pressure roller 51 against the surface of the third drive roll 44.

A pivoted towel guide 60 is supported between the respective side walls 23 and 24 on a rod 61. The pivoted towel guide 60 includes a curved portion 62 having a leading edge 63 that is adjacent the peripheral surface of the roll 44 and is provided to prevent the web 12 of toweling from adhering to the surface of the roll 44 and thus being inadvertently wound thereon. The leading edge 63 of the towel guide 60 will direct the web 12 of toweling away from the surface of the roll 44 along the curved portion 62 so that the leading edge of the web 12 will be directed to a point between the cooperating surfaces of the mandrel or core 59 and the pressure roll 33. The leading edge 63 and the curved portion 62 on the pivoted towel guide 69 extend longitudinally between the respective side walls 23 and 24 a distance substantially equal to the length of the third drive roll 44. At each end of the pivoted towel guide there is provided downwardly depending lip portions 64 spaced apart from each other a distance slightly greater than the distance between the upstanding side edges 48 on the towel guide 45. These lip portions 64 will tend to maintain the web 12 of the toweliug centrally located between the opposite ends of the different rollers in the mechanism. At the free end of the pivoted towel guide 69 there is provided an upturned curved portion 65 extending along the full length of the pivoted towel guide which is arranged to cooperate with the toweling as it is wound on the mandrel or core 59, in a manner to be explained hereinafter to aid in the automatic removal of roll of toweling from the mechanism. The counter-clockwise rotation of the pivoted towel guide 60 about the rod 61 is limited by the screw 47, or the like, that supports the towel guide 45.

As illustrated in the drawings, there is shown a mandrel or core 59 that is in position to cooperate with the adjacent surfaces on the drive roll 21 and the pressure roll 33. This mandrel is provided at each end with trunnions 66 that engages respectively the core guides 67 and 68 secured to the opposite walls 23 and 24 of the mechanism. Each of the core guides 67 and 63 is secured to the wall 24 by means of screws 70 or the like and core guides of the same size and shape are secured in a like manner to the opposite side walls 23.

The mandrel or core 59 which is shown in winding position in cooperation with the first drive roll 21 and the pressure roll 33 in Fig. l is automatically replaced as soon as the preceding mandrel has been wound with the supply of clean toweling and displaced from the mechanism. The automatic means for successively placing the mandrel 59 into the illustrated position to receive the new web of toweling is controlled by the mandrel or core release mechanism 71. This mechanism includes a hinged mandrel or core chute 72 having an adjustble balancing weight 74 and a trip control mechanism 73 that is pivotally mounted at its upper end to deposit the mandrels or cores, one at a time, on the core chute 72. In order to support the release mechanism in the towel winder 15, a pair of chute mounting brackets 75 are secured respectively to the opposite side walls 23 and 24. The upper surface 75a of the chute mounting bracket 75, as best seen in Fig. l, is inclined slightly so that it forms a hopper for a plurality of mandrels or cores 59. A mounting plate 77 having turned up side flanges 77a and 77!: and a turned up front flange 770, as best seen in Fig. 2. is secured in any desired manner to the chute mounting brackets 75. Along the surface of the front flange 770 on the mounting plate 77, a mounting angle 78 is secured in any desired manner. A piano hinge 79 is in turn secured to the lower surface of the mounting angle 78 to form the pivot means for the hinged core chute 72.

In order to control the mandrels 59 so that only one mandrel may be deposited at a time upon the upper surface of the mandrel or core chute 72, core steps 76 are spaced from the front flange 77c of the mounting plate 77, a distance that is just slightly greater than the diameter of a single mandrel. Consequently, when a plurality of mandrels are placed in the hopper, they will tend to roll down the inclined surface 75a on the chute mounting bracket until one of the mandrels will engage the core stop 76 and will then drop downwardly into the space between the core stop 76 and the front flange 77c so that it will be in a position to be moved onto the hinged core chute 72 by means of the trip control mechanism 73.

However, before discussing the trip control mechanism 73, attention is directed to the fact that the hinged mandrel or core chute 72 is provided with upstanding side flanges 72a and 72b to retain the mandrels 59, as they are deposited upon the core chute 72 one at a time, in proper position with respect to the sides of the towel Winding mechanism 15. a i

The adjustable balancing weight 74 is mounted on the hinged mandrel or core chute 72 on a threaded rod 74:: and is arranged so that the core chute 72 is normally retained in the horizontal position as shown in Fig. 1. The adjustment is made so that whenever a mandrel or core 59 is deposited upon the core chute 72, by the action of the trip control mechanism 73, the chute 72 will immediately begin to rotate in the clockwise direction as seen in Fig. 1, so that the core 59 will roll down the surface of the core chute. When the core 59 is deposited in the position illustrated in Fig. 1, in cooperation with the first drive roll 21 and the pressure roll 33, the core chute 72 will then be overbalanced by the weight 74 so that it is again pivoted about the hinge member 79 and rotated in a counter-clockwise direction to the horizontal position shown in the drawing.

The trip control mechanism 73 includes the arms 80a, 80b and an interconnecting bumper 800. The bumper 80c, as best seen in Figs. 1 and 2, is arranged at the lower end of the arms 80a and 80b so that it will be in a position to be engaged by a roll of toweling that has been wound on a mandrel or core 59 and is being ejected from the towel winding mechanism 15. The upper ends of the respective arms 80a and 80b on the trip control mechanism 73 are pivotally mounted on the studs 81 secured to the side Walls 23 and 24 by means of the nuts 82. The extreme upper end of each of the arms 80a and 80b is provided with a cam like surface 83 with a notched cut-out 84 that cooperate with the trunnions on the different mandrels 59 in the manner to be described hereinafter.

In order to limit the extent of the rotation of the trip control mechanism 73, a stop member 85 is secured to the side walls 23 and 24 of the mechanism. The

surface 86 on the stop mechanism is in a position that will prevent the trip control mechanism 73 from rotating in a counter-clockwise direction beyond the position illustrated in Fig. 1 of the drawing. The opposite end of the stop 35 is provided with a stop surface 87 that cooperates with the lower surface of the hinged mandrel and core chute 72 whereby the extent of rotation of the chute in a clockwise direction is limited by engagement with the stop surface 87.

The operation of the mechanism will now be described. In the previous description, it was noted that the Web 12 of the toweling as it was fed from the ironer 11 is deposited into the towel winder 15 as is best illustrated in Fig. 4. Referring now to Fig. 1, it will be seen that the forward edge of the web 12 of the toweling will drop or be fed onto the towel guide 45 in the towel Winding mechanism 15. If desired, the towel guide 45 may be further extended to the right on the illustrated inclined plane so that the web of toweling as it is fed from the ironer 11 may be dropped straight down onto the towel guide 45. It will be assumed that the motor 18 is rotating the first and second drive rolls 21 and 22 in the clockwise direction as seen in Fig. 1 under control of the chain 19. As a consequence of the clockwise rotation of the above mentioned rolls, the third drive roll 44 and the pressure roll 33 are also rotating in a clockwise direction as seen in Fig. 1 under control of the respective drive chains 41 and 39. When the leading edge of the web 12 of toweling reaches the cooperating surfaces of the collars 52 on the pressure roll 51 and the peripheral surface of the third drive roll 44, the leading edge of the web 12 will be fed along the upper surface of the towel guide 45. If the leading edge of the toweling should adhere to the surface of the roll 44 and attempt to wind itself around the roll 44, the leading edge 63 on the pivoted towel guide 60 will cause the web 12 on the toweling to curl outwardly away from the roll 44 and will tend to direct the leading edge to the surface of the pressure roll 33. It should be understood, however, that the material of the web 12 of toweling is generally somewhat stiff, because of a slight amount of starch applied thereto during the laundering operation, and will tend to stay in the position in which it is directed by the curved portion 62 on the pivoted towel guide 60. In addition to the foregoing, the speed at which the toweling is being fed from the ironer 11 and through the towel winder 15 tends to keep the toweling in a position to be directed between the rotating pressure roll 33 and the mandrel or core 59. The speed at which the Web 12 is being driven by the third drive roll 44 is about feet per minute although this speed may be varied as desired.

If the leading edge of the web 12 of the toweling hits the peripheral surface of the roll 33 as it is directed off the curved surface 62 on the pivoted towel guide 60, the clockwise rotation of the roll 33 will pull the leading edge of the web 12 downwardly into the space along the adjacent surfaces of the pressure roll 33 and the core 59.

At this point it should be understood that the core 59 is resting on the surface of the first drive roll 22 and it is forced against the core guides 67 on the opposite walls of the towel winding mechanism by the clockwise rotation of the pressure roll 33 about the axis of the first drive roll 21 under control of the spring 37. The extent of the rotation of the pressure roll 33 about the axis of the first drive roll 21 is governed by the surfaces of the respective rolls 21 and 33 in engagement with the associated surface on the core 59. Also, the trunnions 66 on the opposite ends of the core 59 engage the cooperating surfaces 67a on the core guide 67. Thus, the core 59 is held in the position illustrated in Fig. 1 and is rotating in a counter-clockwise direction under control of the clockwise rotation of the first drive roll 21 and the pressure roll 33.

When the leading edge of the toweling 12 is fed between the oppositely rotating surfaces on the respective core 59 and pressure roll 33, it will be pinched between the respective surfaces and pulled therebetween to start the Web rotating in a counter-clockwise direction around the surface of the core 59. The continued driving action of the pressure roll 33 will pull the web of toweling and when the web 12 reaches the cooperating surfaces on the core 59 and the first drive roll 21, the Web will be further wound around the core 59. The web may now tend to fall away from the surface of the core 59 but to prevent this, the clockwise rotation of the second drive roll 22 will cooperate with the surface on the core 59 so that it will lift the leading edge of the web of toweling upwardly between the two cooperating surfaces on the roll 22 and the core 59 to further direct the winding of the web 12 around the core 59 in a counter-clockwise direction. If the leading edge still tends to fall away from the surface of the core 59, it will contact the section of the web 12 of the toweling which is now above the core 59 and encircling the same. Since the web 12 is moving from the right toward the left, as seen in Fig. 1, the lower surface on the web will tend to pull the leading edge of the toweling toward the core 59 and will thus cause the leading edge to be clamped between the towel web as it is wound around the core 59.

Rotation of the core 53, with the web 12 of the toweling wrapped around the same, will continue under the clockwise rotation of the first drive roll 21 and the pressure roll 33. Due to the number of teeth provided in the sprockets of the first drive roll 21 and the pressure roll 33, the rolls 21 and 33 are designed so that their surfaces Will tend to rotate the core 59 at a speed that is 7 slightly greater than the speed at which the toweling is fed to the core 59 by the third drive roll 44. This will cause the toweling to be wound tightly on the core As the amount of toweling wound on the core 59 increases, the core 59 will gradually move upwardly with the trunnions 66 in engagement with the cooperating surfaces 7a on the towel guides 67. This action is shown by the dotted lines in Fig. l and it will be understood that the pressure roll 33 will now move in an arc in a counterclockwise direction about the axis of rotation of the first drive roll 21. It should be understood, h wever, that the peripheral surfaces of the rolls 21, 22 and 33 do not at any time engage one another.

Subsequently, the size of the roll of toweling on the core 59 will be increased sutliciently so that the upturned curved portion 65 on the pivoted towel guide 69 will engage the outer upper surface of the web 12 forming the roll on the core 59. If the roll of toweling on the core 59 further increases, the pivoted towel guide at) will be raised and pivoted about the rod 61 in a clockwise direction. The pivoted towel guide 60 tends to position or move the roll of toweling on the core 59 away from the surfaces 67a on the core guides 67. However, this movement is retarded by the web 12 of toweling that is at this time interconnecting the roll of toweling on the core 59 with the third drive roll 44 and the cooperating pressure roller 51.

As previously stated, the section of the web 12 of the toweling that constitutes each roll is generally about fifty yards of material and when the trailing edge of this material passes through the cooperating pressure roller 51 and third drive roll 44, the pivoted towel guide 60 will cause the roll of toweling that has been wound on the core 59 to fall to the left as viewed in Fig. 1 against the bumper 80c on the trip control mechanism 73. Also the Weight of the roll of toweling on the core 59 will cause the pressure roll 33 to be further rotated in a counterclockwise direction about the axis of the first drive roll 21, until the lower surface on the roll of toweling on the core 59 engages the rails 16a forming part of the storage supports 16 of Fig. l. The rails 16a are secured in any desired manner to the side walls 23 and 24 on the towel winding mechanism.

As a result of the engagement of the roll of toweling on the core 59 with the bumper 800, the lower end of the trip control mechanism 73 is moved to the left as seen in Fig. 1. As a result thereof, the notched cut-out portion 84 on the upper end of the arms 8tla and 801) will cooperate with the trunnion 66a on the core 5% and cause the latter core to be moved onto the hinged core chute 72. The cam like surfaces 83 on the arms 80a and 80b Will prevent another core, such as 59, from dropping down into the position to be moved onto the hinged chute 72. However, the core 59:: that has now been released by the action of the trip control mechanism 73 will Weight the hinged chute 72 sufficiently to cause it to rotate in a clockwise direction about the hinge '79 until it engages the stop surface 37 so that the core 59a will roll down the inclined surface created by the rotation of the hinged chute 72.

The last-mentioned tripping action whereby an additional core 59a is deposited upon the hinged core chute 72 takes place rather quickly and is completed before the roll of toweling on the core 59 has passed the bumper 800 on the trip control mechanism 73. Consequently, the pressure roll 33 can not be returned to its normal position as illustrated in Fig. 1 under control of the tension of the spring 37 until the fully wound roll on the core 59 has been deposited upon the rails 160.

In view of the foregoing, it should be understood that the second core 59a will be controlled so that its trunn'ions 66a will be in cooperation with the surfaces 67a on the core guides 67 and will drop to the surface of the first drive roll 21 just prior to the time that the pressure roll 33 will be rotated in the clockwise direction back to the original position shown in Fig. 1. Thus, a second core is now in a position to receive the leading edge of the next section of toweling.

At this time, it should be noted that the stop 38 on the side walls of the towel winding mechanism 15 will 00- operate With the edge of the roller connecting link 34a and 34b to limit the clockwise rotation of the pivoted pressure roll 33. Normally, the sections of toweling for each roll is fed through the ironer 11 so that the trailing edge of one section of toweling is spaced apart from the leading edge of the next section of toweling by at least twelve inches. This spacing interval will, at the speed at which the towelling is being controlled by the towel winder, be sufficient to enable the machine to remove the roll of toweling that has been wound on a first core and to replace a second core in the winding position before the web of toweling has been fed sufiiciently far to be wound on the new core 59.

It should also be noted that as soon as a core has been dropped off of the hinged core chute 72, the latter mechanism will again rotate in a counter-clockwise direction under control of the weight 74 to again return the core chute 72 in the illustrated position. The core chute 72 is now in a position to again receive another mandrel or core 59. It should also be noted that as soon as the roll of toweling that has been wound on a core has cleared the bumper c and rolled down the rails 16a to the storage support 16 (Fig. 4), the trip control mechanism 73 will again return to the illustrated position in engagement with the stop surface 86. As a result of the return movement of the trip control mechanism, the cam surface 83 will be withdrawn to unlock core hopper and permit the next core to be dropped downwardly into the notched cut-outs 84 on the trip control mechanism 73.

It is customary after each roll of toweling has been: wound around the core to remove the core from the roll of towel. After the cores are removed from the roll of toweling they are then replaced on the mandrel or core storage rack 17 so that the core hopper will have sufficient core members to wind the different sections of toweling as they are received for the ironer 11. Furthermore, in describing the operation of the towel Winding mechanism 15, it has been assumed that the sections of toweling that are to be Wound on the core 59 are approximately fifty yards long but it should be understood that the lengths of the rolls of toweling to be wound on the towel winding mechanism 15 may vary considerably without requiring any adjustments or changes in the mechanism.

While one embodiment of the invention has been disclosed, it will be understood that various modifications may be made therein which are in the true spirit and scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. In a winding machine, a continuously rotating winding roll, a mandrel supported for rotation on the surface of said winding roll, means automatically directing the leading edge of a web of textile material between said mandrel and said winding roll and around said mandrel to wind said material on said mandrel, means including said winding roll effective, jointly responsive to the building up of material wound on said mandrel and in response to reaching the end of a predetermined length of said material, for ejecting said mandrel and roll of web material wound thereon from said machine, and means controlled by said roll of web material in response to said ejection for automatically placing another mandrel on the surface of said Winding roll so that the leading edge of another web of said material will automatically be Wound on said other mandrel.

2. A winding machine as set forth in claim 1, wherein said means for automatically placing another mandrel on the surface of said winding roll includes, a hopper carrying a plurality of additional mandrels, and means actuated by said ejection of said first mentioned mandrel for selecting one of said additional-mandrels from said hopper and for guiding said selected additional mandrel so that it is placed on the surface of said winding roll in a position to wind another web of said material thereon.

3. A winding machine as set forth in claim 1, wherein said means for automatically placing another mandrel on the surface of said winding roll includes, a hopper loosely supporting a plurality of additional mandrels, a release mechanism for releasing said additional mandrels from said hopper one at a time, and means in the path of the ejection of a mandrel having a roll of web material wound'thereon for actuating said release mechanism, and means for conveying said additional .inandrel released from said hopper to the surface of said winding roll so that another web of material may be wound thereon.

4. In a towel winding machine, first and second con tinuously rotating winding rolls, a mandrel loosely supported for rotation by frictional engagement with the surface of said first winding roll, a pressure roll normally pressing against the surface of said mandrelto retain said mandrel in winding position, said rolls arranged around said mandrel to automatically direct a leading edge of a webofa strip of towelingfirst between said pressure roll and said mandrel then between said first roll and said mandrel and then between said second roll and said mandrel to wind said toweling on said mandrel, means controlled in response to the building up of said web of said strip of toweling around said mandrel for rotating said pressu re roll in an are around the axis of said first winding roll, additional means for dislodging said mandrel and toweling wound thereon from frictional engagement with said first winding roll as soon' as the trailing edge of said strip of toweling is reached, and means automatically controlled in response to said dislodgement of said mandrel and said strip of toweling wound thereon for automatically positioning another mandrel for rotation by frictional engagement with the surface of said first winding roll and returning said pressure roll to press against the surface of said other mandrel so that the next strip of toweling directed to said machine will automatically be wound on said other mandrel.

5. A device for winding strips of woven fabric material into roll form as said strips are successively fed from an ironing machine, comprising a first rotating drive roll, a second rotating roll, a winding core carried by said first drive roll and driven by frictional action to wind said material on said core, means for directing the leading edge of a first strip of material between said core and said first and second rolls and then around said core so that said rotation of said first and second rolls winds said strip of material round said core, means mounting said second roll for pivotal movement about the axis of said first roll, means for rotating said second roll with at least a portion of the peripheral surface thereof engaging said material being wound on said core and for pivoting said second roll about the axis of said first roll as the amount of material Wound on said core increases, means including said second roll for ejecting said core with said material wound thereon as soon as said first strip of material is fully wound thereon, a release mechanism actuated by said ejected roll of material, a core hopper carrying a plurality of cores, means controlled by actuation of said release mechanism for releasing a second core from said core hopper and for placing said second core on said first drive roll so that the next strip of material may be wound on said second core, and means for restoring said second roll to engage the surface of said core.

6. In a winding machine, a plurality of rollers, means continuously rotating each of said rollers in the same direction, a fabric guide for directing a web of a strip of fabric into engagement with the surface of a first of said rollers and extending under said first roller to further direct said fabric, spaced apart slots formed in said guide, a pivoted pressure roller comprising a plurality of spaced apart collars cooperating with said slots in said fabric guide so that at least a portion of said collars extend through said slots and press the web of said strip of fabric against the surface of said first roller as said fabric passes between said first roller and said guide, a core member loosely carried on the surface of a second of said rollers in a position to wind the web of said strips of fabric thereon, core guides for the respective ends of said core member, a second pivoted pressure roller arranged to direct the leading edge of the web of said strip of fabric between said second pressure roller and said core member and tensioned to press said fabric against said core and thereby to press said core against said guides to hold said core in winding position on said first roller, said second roller thereafter directing the leading edge of the web of said strip of fabric between said second roller and said core to further wind said strip of fabric on said core, a third of said rollers thereafter directing the leading edge of the web of said strip of fabric between said third roller and said core to further wind said strip of fabric on said core and thereby to direct the leading edge of said fabric around said core so that it will be overlapped by said strip of fabric and thus held in place as it is wound on said core, and said second roller having a surface speed greater than the surface speed of said first roller so that said second roller will tend to rotate said core and wind said strip of fabric thereon faster than it is passed between said first roller and said first pressure roller in order tightly to wind said fabric on said core.

7. In a winding machine, a plurality of rolls, means rotating each of said rolls in the same direction, a fabric guide for directing a web of a strip of fabric into engagement with the surface of a first of said rolls, a pivoted pressure roller comprising a plurality of spaced apart collars arranged to press the web of said strip of fabric against the surface of said first roll so that the latter roller will pull said strip of fabric from said guide into said machine, a core member carried in a winding position on the surface of a second of said rolls and rotated by frictional engagement with said second roll, a second pressure roller arranged to direct the leading edge of the web of said strip of fabric between said second pressure roller and said core in order to press the web of said strip of fabric after it has passed beyond said first roll against the surface of said core to wind the same thereon, said second roll thereafter feeding the leading edge of the web of said strip of fabric between said second roll and said core to further wind said strip of fabric on said core, a third of said plurality of rolls thereafter feeding the leading edge of the web of said strip of fabric between said third roll and said core to direct the leading edge between said core and the web of fabric to further wind said strip of fabric on said core, mounting links supporting said second pressure roller for pivotal movement about the axis of rotation of said second roll, means normally tensioned to pivot said mounting links in a direction to cause said second pressure roller to press against said fabric being wound on said core member, a core guide for retaining said core member in position with respect to the surface of said second roll, said tension on said second pressure roller normally pressing said core member against said core guide as the amount of said fabric wound on said core increases, and means effective as soon as the trailing edge of said strip of fabric passes between said first roll and said first pivoted pressure roller for pushing said core member and the strip of fabric wound thereon away from said core guide and against the tension on said second pressure roller to eject said core member and the strip of fabric wound thereon from said machine.

8. A winding machine as set forth in claim 7, including a rack for storing each of said core members having astrip of fabric wound thereon as it is ejected from said machine.

9. A winding machine as set forth in claim 7, including a core chute, and means controlled in response to said ejection of said core member and said strip of fabric wound thereon from said machine for depositing a second core upon said core chute to direct said second core to said winding position on the surface of said second roll so that the next strip of fabric directed by said fabric guide will be wound on said second core.

10. A winding machine as set forth in claim 9, including means for pivotally supporting said core chute, an adjustable weight for balancing said core chute in a first position, said second core in response to the deposit thereof upon said core chute unbalancing said core chute to move the same from said first position to a second position, and said core chute in said second position forming an inclined plane down which said second core member is directed to assume the winding position with respect to said core guide and said second roll and said second pressure roller.

11. A winding machine as set forth in claim 7 including, a core chute, a pair of spaced-apart pivoted arms supporting a second core member therebetween in a position to be deposited upon said core chute, a bumper positioned in the path of ejection of said first mentioned core member having the strip of said fabric Wound thereon and actuated thereby to move said pivoted arms to a position to dislodge said second core member from said support on said pivoted arms so that it is deposited upon said core chute, and means pivotally supporting said core chute so that the weight of said second core member on said core chute will pivot the same to roll said second core member down the surface of the core chute to the winding position on the surface of said second roll so that the next strip of fabric directed by said fabric guide will be wound on said second core.

12. A winding machine as set forth in claim 11 including, a core hopper for loosely supporting a plurality of said core members, and wherein said bumper under the influence of gravity restores said arms to a position to receive an additional core member from said hopper and to support the same in a position to be deposited upon said core chute, and means secured to said core chute for restoring the same to the position to receive another core member deposited thereon so that the latter core member may be placed in said winding position on the surface of the second roll in response to the ejection of the second core member having a strip of fabric wound thereon.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 999,352 Waring Aug. 1, 1911 1,776,263 Marcalus Sept. 23, 1930 FOREIGN PATENTS 369,356 Great Britain Mar. 24, 1932 

